2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards Judges Announced

New Zealand Post Book Awards Invaluable Snap Shot Of New Zealand'sLiterary History.

This year's New Zealand Post Book Awards judges are already promising tohave stimulating debates on not only the books but the issues andconcerns of young adults nationally. "Being a judge in the New ZealandPost Book Awards gives us the rare opportunity to take a snap shot ofnot only children's literary history but also of the concerns and issuesof young adults seen through the eyes of writers at this time.

That is exciting," Judging convenor Dylan Owen says."We are looking forward to having a range of informed and stimulatingconversations about the books that have been submitted. It is like beingin the biggest book club in New Zealand."The multi skilled judging panel of National Library Schools Advisor Dylan Owen, Wellington based illustrator Fifi Colston and Gisborne awardwinning author Vince Ford are excited about the judging process.

"We will look at the books through different eyes because of our skills and qualities and this has to be good for the judging process," Mr Owen says. Dylan Owen works for the National Library as its National Advisor forthe Schools Collection in Wellington and was a judge in the 2007 NewZealand Post Book Awards. He is actively engaged in promoting,presenting and writing on aspects of New Zealand children's literatureand other resources.

He is also the Picture Book Reviewer for TheDominion Post and has written for the School Journal.

Fifi Colston, is actively involved in the book industry as an illustrator of more than 28 children's books, she is the currentConvener of the Wellington Children's Book Association, illustration tutor and junior novelist, poet, columnist, and the kid's art and crafts presenter on TV One's Good Morning Show. She also has a stronginvolvement with the annual Storylines Festival, both as a committee member and as a touring author and illustrator. Fifi is a regular entrant in the Montana Wearable Art Awards with 14entries under her belt, seven of those as a finalist, and an occasional award winner, she teaches workshops to children and adults alike in the creative process and techniques involved in creating art for the stage as well as illustration techniques for picture books. Her two pre-teen novels, Verity's Truth and Janie Olive are published by Scholastic, with a third due for release in April 2009.

Vince Ford has always wanted to write. "I grew up on a hill-country farmand studied agriculture at Massey University, but always thought that I'd like to write one day," he says. "After working as a truck driver, a sheep-mustering jackaroo in outback Australia and a production manager for a video production company, I finally had the courage to write."He's now been writing full time for more than five years and its paidoff. This year his book Boyznbikes was a finalist in the 2007 NewZealand Post Book Awards and his first book 2Much4U was winner of the Best First Book and Junior Fiction category at the New Zealand Post BookAwards in 2000.

Other books to his credit include It's a Try, Somuch2do,The Dare Club, Possums2U, and A Handful of Blue. Vince lives just out of Gisborne with his wife Andrea, a school principal.

The 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists will be announced on February 26. Children and teenagers will also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite book, selecting from the finalist titles, forthe popular Children's Choice Award.

Voting begins when the finalistsare announced on February 26, 2007.New Zealand Post has been a steadfast sponsor of the New Zealand PostBook Awards for Children and Young Adults since 1997. Their partnershiphas seen the awards flourish, growing from strength to strength over the last decade. New Zealand Post's support of these awards reflects their deep commitment to promoting literacy and literature throughout thecountry.

Working closely with Booksellers New Zealand, New Zealand Postand other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage NewZealand children to read and enjoy books. For those with limited access to new works, New Zealand Post also purchases and distributes books by the New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists by supporting the Books in Homes programme each year.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards are also supported by Creative NewZealand and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and are administered by Booksellers NewZealand.